Damaged

A play for those who have been broken -Charles Richmond-

Raymond walks into the comic book store with his shoes untied and plastic hammer that looks like a replica of the mighty Thor’s hammer hanging out of his back pocket.

Store clerk

Hey son, tie your shoe.

Didn’t your mother teach you to keep your shoes tied? You’re going to ruin your laces.

Raymond

Oh! Thanks for letting me know Mr. (long silence)

Store clerk

Shed, I’m Mr. Shed

Raymond

Thanks Mr. Shed, but my foster mom hasn’t really taught me much of anything.

I just stay out of her way and fight off the frost giants with my hammer.

Shed

I see

I’ve noticed you playing in the park across the street a lot.

It looks like you have a lot of fun.

Raymond

FUN!?

I don’t have fun over there; I’m too busy saving the world from the frost giants to think about having fun!

Shed

Oh, my mistake.

I would hate for the frost giants to get in my store, thanks for protecting me.

Raymond

It is but a duty to my people, Mr. Shed

Raymond leaves the store to head over to the park with his plastic hammer in his hand. Meanwhile Mr. Shed contemplates Raymond’s situation.

(In Sheds thoughts)

This poor kid

He’s obviously way too old to be carrying around a plastic Thor’s hammer

I see this kid everyday, and never is he with anyone.

He comes in here to read these comics and goes over to play by himself in the park

I feel bad for him

That night after Mr. Shed closed the store. He went home to his 50 empty bottles of liquor scattered across his apartment, and leftover popcorn kernels all over the recliner and floor. His carpets were multicolored from all of the stains over the years.

He peers at the only picture on the wall, containing a woman, in the arms of himself, with smiles on both of their faces. Indicating a sense of remorse and sorrow.

Mr. Shed opens another bottle of gut rot whiskey, and begins to sip while he watches Shark Week shows on Animal Planet.

The next day Mr. Shed gets up early and heads over to the comic book store 2 hours before the opening time. He sits on the bench out front and casually looks around at the people and smiles, indicating he was thinking about the woman in the photograph. Over in the park he notices a boy balled up in the corner of a park bench crying and alone. He can see that under the bench lied Thor’s hammer. Mr. Shed approached the boy casually.

Shed

Son!? What are you doing over here? Shouldn’t you be in school?

Raymond jumps, and looked up startled that someone was speaking to him.

Raymond

Yes, but I didn’t think anyone would notice if I was gone today

Its not like they even notice when I am there.

Mr. Shed looks down at Raymond noticing a black eye forming and a little swelling. His pants were mildly wet and dirty from what appears to be falling on the ground.

Shed

How did you get that black eye?

Are you ok?

Raymond

Yeah

I’ll be ok.

Just some kids on my way to school.

They didn’t like what I was wearing, and so I hit one of them with my hammer

There was too many frost giants with them this time.

Shed

Come on in the store, ill open up early today, you need to get cleaned up

They walk over to the store go inside, and Raymond heads to the bathroom to wash the dirt off his hands. Raymond comes back into the set.

Raymond

My name is Raymond

I noticed you never got my name, and you keep calling me “son”

Shed

True

I was wondering what your name was, but I figured if you wanted me to know you’d tell me

Do those kids give you a hard time often?

Raymond

Usually everyday, but I don’t usually get beat up like this.

The power of Thor works in mysterious ways

You never know when the hammer will empower you

You have to be worthy of its might

Shed

Yes, you do

I too wielded the mighty hammer once

But that was a long time ago, and that story takes some time

Raymond

I sure would like to hear it some time Mr. Shed, but I think I should get to school

Shed

One second Raymond!

Here, I have a gift for you that might help

Mr. Shed walks into the back room and brings out an old pair of glasses that looked as if they were from the 70’s

Shed

Now look

These are invisibility glasses

They were acquired from the downfall of Mr. Evil

I was lucky enough to get my hands on them

As long as you wear these nobody can see you

You must be careful though, because they can still hear you

Raymond

ARE YOU SERIOUS?

YOUR GONNA LET ME HAVE THOSE?

Those other kids aren’t gonna give me any trouble anymore before school

Shed

Yep!

Just keep in mind, they’re old like me, and may not work all of the time, but most of the time they do

Raymond reached in his back pocket and pulled out Thor’s hammer. Stared at it for a moment, and handed it to Mr. Shed

Raymond

Will you hold on to this for me?

Because you were a previous wielder of Thor’s hammer, I will let you use it to fight the frost giants off of your store.

Mr. Shed accepted, and smiled.

Raymond headed off to school with his new glasses excitedly.

Mr. Shed closed up the store that night and hung Thor’s hammer by the door so Raymond could see that he put it there to ward off the frost giants. Mr. Shed went home that night to his sloppy and disgusting apartment. He sat in his dirty old recliner in front of the T.V and looked up at the photograph. He smiled at it, and got up and threw his full bottle away and went to bed.

Shed

Thank you dear

You’ve always been there for me.